After Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan signed a mutual defense treaty in Mecca last week, a senior Israeli official sounded the alarm.
“The agreement worries us,” the official told the Ynet news outlet. “It is a pact aimed at Israel.”
“We wouldn’t be surprised if Egypt joins the Mecca Agreement,” continued the official, expressing worries that it could bring hostile forces to Israel’s doorstep.
That interpretation fundamentally misreads both the target of the tripartite pact and Cairo’s relevance to it.
It was actually a reading offered by Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman that got closer to the heart of the agreement.
“Countries in the region cannot rely on the claim of security provided by the US as in the past,” said Esmaeil Baghaei.
Indeed, the failure of the US to effectively confront Iran and sustain pressure on Tehran is at the center of the agreement. “These countries
are showing frustration with the lack of success and the muddle of US diplomacy,” said Simon Henderson, Baker senior fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Published originally on August 12, 2026.
Read the full article at the Times of Israel.
